Teammates
by Shadow Elf Warrior
Summary: Set during the battle network 5 game, when Lan is going against Tesla. What would have happened if Chaud had tried calling while Lan was busy?


**_AN: holy crap, i'm still alive and entering a new fandom to boot. wow, wonders never cease. anyways, i was just playing battle network 5, team protoman, and while fighting my way to tesla and magnetman, it crossed my mind that it would be a very bad time for chaud to call with a mission. i couldn't get the mental image of him calling lan only to have lan tell to buzz off and this little fic was born. good thing too. i've have major writer's block for almost two years now._**

**_also, to any of my Death Wish readers, i'm trying, really, to get the next few chapters out. i've got notes and partial write outs for at least the next three chapters, but they're all battle scenes and i've never done them before. i'm having a few friends help me out, but if any of you knwo someone who's willing to help a gal out, please, feel free to send me names or something. i need help._**

**_speed-written and unbetaed. hope you enjoy my latest foray!_**

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><p>Chaud hated being made to wait, but with the new security from Nebula, he wasn't given much of a choice. Until they could find a way to get through the assault guns guarding their next destination, he and Lan wouldn't be able to make much headway in liberating the net. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't find anyone with enough defensive power that he felt was trustworthy of helping them.<p>

Glancing over his desk, his eyes fell on the small photo he'd been forced into having taken. It was from a few months ago, when he'd wound up being dragged by Lan on a camping trip with him and his friends. Giving a slightly amused smile, Chaud had to shake his head. Lan had always had the uncanny abililty to find friendship in the strangest of places...

As if that thought were a trigger, he suddenly sat up straighter. Maybe he was going about this all wrong. He was the one organizing things on an national level, but it was Lan who was doing the actual missions. Perhaps Lan should be the one to find new teammates for Team Protoman. If he was going to be operating the navis on the team, he needed to be able to have some connection with them, at the very least.

Nodding to himself, he grabbed his phone and dialled up Lan's number.

The phone rang three times before he heard Lan's voice.

"Dex? That you?" There was something odd about his tone, but Chaud ignored it, scowling at the thought of being mistaken for that oaf that hung around the boy.

"No, it's Chaud. I have a new mission for you to-"

"Sorry Chaud, little busy right now. I'll call you back in a little while, ok? Bye."

-click-

Chaud blinked, staring at his phone. Lan had hung up on him. Lan had _actually_ hung up on him. His eyes narrowing, he swore to give the boy trouble when he next saw him.

Later on

Chaud didn't bother looking up from the maps when a knock at the door sounded.

"Come in."

However, he did look up when the door slammed into the wall and a cheerful "Hey there Chaud!" sounded.

Chaud blinked before scowling. "It's about time you showed up. Where have you been? And care to explain why you decided to hang up on me earlier?"

Lan didn't even have the grace to look sheepish. Instead, he looked rather upset. "Well, when I'm trying to prevent my friends from getting crushed from falling boulders, it's a little hard to go on a mission."

Chaud paused. "Oh. I guess that would be a ... decent reason." He ignored Lan's comments about decency. "At any rate, mission I was trying to give you earlier is to find someone trustworthy who has some kind of shielding ability. You seem to be able to make acquaintances everywhere, I'm sure you can find someone."

"Shielding ability?" Lan asked. "That's all you wanted?"

Chaud looked at him, confused at his wording. "Yes..." He said slowly. "Why? Do you now know anyone like that?"

The brunette laughed. "Oh, in that case the mission's already done." He held up a PET, revealing a navi mark Chaud hadn't seen in quite some time.

Lan continued. "You see, I ran into Magnetman and his new lady operator, Tesla. I explained the problem and she said that Magnetman could help. He can use his powers to shield us. Awesome, huh?

Chaud could only stare in hopeless amazement.

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><p><em><strong>AN: poor chaud. really, lan's ability to make friends with everyone he meets is rather frightening. he's made friends with his enemies, for crying out loud. chaud should really learn to take advantage of this skill. he could get some great info.<strong>_

_**if you liked this, then keep an eye out for another little fic i'm working on. it has to do with a scene in vol 11, where bass and megaman merge. there's a scene where i /swear/ bass is shown with an almost... dare i say it, fond expression on his face. i'm trying to do a take on that. should be interesting, to say the least.**_

_**anyways, peace!**_


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